Four-star DL Elijah Golden commits to Notre Dame football over Alabama and Oklahoma

Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Elijah Golden has announced his commitment to Notre Dame, giving the Fighting Irish a major boost to their 2026 class.

The Notre Dame staff offered Golden back in March 2024 during their annual Pot of Gold Day and made the four-star prospect a major priority recruit. Their efforts paid off on Aug. 9, as Golden made his pledge to the Irish over Alabama, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech — the other three finalists.

“It’s definitely the consistency of how they talk to me and the love that they show,” Golden previously told Rivals about why Notre Dame stands out to him.

“I like the fanbase; their fanbase is crazy. Every time I post something, they show me a lot of love. The coaches show me a lot of love too, and I love all the coaches there. They are great guys and great coaches.”

Notre Dame defensive line coaches Al Washington and Nick Sebastian did a tremendous job leading the 6-4, 275-pounder to pick the Irish.

“They’ve been rocking with me since my freshman year when Al Golden (no relation) was there,” Golden added. “I talk to Coach Washington the most but it’s really the whole staff.

“Coach Sebastian is a very funny guy; I can tell you that. And he can get very technical. When I was there on a visit in the spring, he was the one who broke down my film and cut up everything. He really loves the game.”

Golden visited Notre Dame five times, including his official visit the weekend of June 20. He was also in South Bend in the spring, plus two offseason trips in 2024. The Irish started recruiting him before his sophomore year, as Golden participated in a prospect camp at Notre Dame in June of 2023.

“The photoshoot was a highlight, but also the first day when all the recruits had an introduction — we walked out with a song, and everyone was hyping us up,” Golden said about his official visit. “That was pretty cool.”

Golden is Notre Dame’s 27^th commitment of the 2026 class and fourth defensive line pledge, joining Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park’s Rodney Dunham, Bastrop (Texas) High’s Tiki Hola and Garner (N.C.) South Garner’s Ebenezer Ewetade.

The Irish hosted 28 prospects for official visits in June — 16 of whom were already committed to Notre Dame. Now that Golden has committed to the Irish, 27 of those players are pledged to the Irish.

In addition to his offers from his finalists, Golden had Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, Miami, Clemson, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, Florida State and many others.

The Elijah Golden file

Last season, Golden recorded 61 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 8 quarterback hurries and a pass breakup in 11 games. His performance earned him MaxPreps second-team junior All-America honors. He also competed in the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl, which now allows for juniors to participate.

Golden was named to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune All-Area first-team defense and High School on SI second-team all-state defense for his efforts in 2024.

He also competed in wrestling as a junior, trying the sport for the first time.

Golden is originally from Virginia and began his high school career at King George (Va.) High. As a sophomore, he played for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy before transferring to Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney for his junior campaign. Cardinal Mooney head coach Jared Clark played for the Irish in the early 2000s. Clark came to South Bend as a quarterback but moved to tight end later in his collegiate career.